You're welcome! Yes, I use my smartphone now and then for taking photos when I don't have the DSLR handy, or when it's busy taking a long expsoure, but given that I usually have my other camera around, I don't use the phone much.
Regarding relying on equipment... as much as you hear "the camera doesn't matter", the camera DOES matter. Like you say, you will be limited by a smartphone's lack of options/lenses/sensor size, etc. (I think it's good to mention this because a lot of photographers hear "the camera doesn't matter" and so think they're a terrible photographer because they can't take amazing photos with their phone).
Whatever you own, know the limitations of your camera, whether it's a cheap smartphone or a top-of-the-line DSLR, and learn how to work around those limitations and still take the best possible images with whatever camera you have: depending on the phone you can probably get apps that will give you more control over your camera settings, over shutter speed, white balance and maybe aperture. You can tape your phone onto a tripod or some kind of stable support and use a timer to take better low light shots or to do long exposure and light painting. You can take HDR with your phone to increase the dynamic range in high contrast lighting, or shoot a pano and stitch the images together on the computer to increase the resolution. And all the while you'll be learning techniques that will transfer over to your next camera.
And just because you use a smartphone doesn't mean you can't practice the two most important aspects of photography: lighting and composition!
So yes, the camera makes a huge difference and you will love getting a camera with more control - then news doors will be open to you and you can try all kinds of new stuff! -, but you will appreciate the improvement far better once you've thoroughly maxed out the potential of the one you have in your hand.
Hope I didn't go on too long about that. I'm probably preaching to the choir. Anyway, best of luck! And yeah, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to help if I can. :)
This is great, I'm so grateful to you for sharing! I'm actually considering saving up for a new camera as early as now, but I'll definitely try maximizing my iPhone's features until then. When I edit pictures, I usually just tinker with the brightness/contrast, so I think I still have a lot of things to discover and try out. If you happen to have some suggestions on some good applications, I'd love to hear them!
As for lighting and composition, I'd definitely want to hear more of those from a successful photographer like you! I know practice is really the best teacher, but I know I'd also learn faster if I gather some first-hand tips and apply those to my own photos. I've tried learning the basics of photography before (e.g. aperture, shutter speed, etc) but it's been hard to apply them since I use my iPhone most of the time. :)
Thanks so much again! You're too kind for entertaining my questions! <3
Hey, no worries, happy to help out!
Hmn, I'm sorry I don't have recommendations for camera apps. All I can suggest is to spend some time playing around with different ones, referring to the reviews, looking for apps that allow you the maximum control over exposure settings.
Of course there are also apps for editing photos on your camera. Even Instagram has some decent controls. Again, not something I have experience with, but there are many options out there.
I hear you about having a hard time applying the basic technical aspects of photography without a camera that gives you control over those things. That will come, and you sound like someone who will have no trouble picking up the details once you have a camera that lets you. It will make more sense then. For now I would say look at other people's photos of things that you would also like to photograph. Lets say flowers for example. Look at the very best flower photos you can find online - 500px is a good place to find great images - and try to figure out what makes them great. Look at the lighting. Where is the light source located? Hard or soft light? Does the shadow play a part in the image? What about color(s)? How is the image composed? Is the flower in the center or off to the side of the frame, and why? Or for landscapes, look at the different times of day that photos are taken - why is a cloudy sunset with light breaking through usually prettier than noon on a cloudless day? Are there foreground elements leading the eye through the image and giving depth or is the composition flat, with patterns and shapes?
All just examples. The main point being that if you can develop an eye for reverse engineering photos you see online you'll slowly be able to teach yourself what works and what doesn't, and why. if that makes sense. And I promise analyzing photos is way more fun than dissecting a book for an essay. ;)
No worries, I'll do my own research and see which apps will work best for me! I really think I still have more to explore here in my phone. If you still edit or post process your photos, may I know what software you use? I might also try exploring them as early as now.
And thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely look at -500px and see some photos for myself! I know this won't be an easy thing to master but I know it's going to be worth it! From what you said, there's actually lots of factors we have to consider even in just one photograph (from the lighting to the position). Maybe I can ask what you started to work on first?
I just read your comment and I can already agree with you that analyzing photos is much more exciting and fun! I can't wait to be able to take better photos!
I definitely still process every image - for me, it's a key element of the process. I shoot RAW files in my DSLR instead of JPG - RAW files look flat when you put them on the computer, but like a film negative was, now the RAW file contains much more information - it only requires processing to make it look good.
JPGs are the result of the camera (or phone) doing the processing for you, which is why they look more vibrant right away, but don't let you change much afterwards because they're compressed to reduce the filesize - they have less information stored in them, so you can't recover blown out highlights or turn up the exposure in the shadows.
Sorry for the technical digression...! I edit my photos in Adobe Lightroom (and sometimes Photoshop, but mostly Lightroom).
Don't worry about mastering anything - if you're lucky you'll never think you've gotten quite good enough, but will always be curious and trying to get better - that's part of the fun! ;)
Honestly I don't remember what I started on first, but if I were to suggest it, I would say lighting is a great thing to begin with!
Hehe, good! Well, I hope you enjoy it! That's really the most important part. :)
Ooooh I see! I guess better if you really start processing the RAW file. But I'm assuming you can't export photos taken with a phone as a RAW file?
And yeah, I've heard that Lightroom and Photoshop are both good editors. I'll also try practicing with them with some of my photos, just to get the hang of the software. :)
Thanks for always entertaining my questions! I just really want to be a better photographer, be it with my phone or a camera. :)
Yes, RAW is better, but not something to worry about yet (you're right, most phones won't save as a RAW) - I just wanted to explain why I would need to do more processing to mine.
There may be free alternatives to LR and PS that I'm not aware of - they do have 30-day trials if you want to try them, but there are editing apps for the iPhone that will be fine for now. Sorry I don't know which are the best ones!
Desire, curiosity and a willingness to learn will get you far! :)
Awesome, I'll definitely keep in mind everything you've told me! For now I'll do my own research and try do make do with what I have and what I can. :) Thanks a lot, really, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of your photographs!
I hope I can also ask you for help or for your opinion on how I can improve my photos, when the time comes! :)